Little Ones Extra Magic Mornings

[January-2007]

What's the deal with these? Does the Magic Kingdom get ultra busy because of them? Am I not allowed to go because I won't have a kid with me? Info??

[Jenemmy]

We did this one morning last September. Basically, Fantasyland is open an hour before anything else. Tons of characters are out and playing with the kids. Follow the leader with Peter Pan, Simon Says with Alice etc.... Some will even ride rides with the kids. We found that so many children were playing with the characters that we could walk right on any Fantasyland attraction. It was really, really nice for the little ones. I certainly don't think anyone would stop you from going because you don't have a child with you.

[Kairi_7378]

DH and I have no children, and we were at EMH's on 3/29. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were open in the morning, but not Adventureland and Frontierland. I recommend getting to the park when the park opens. We were able to get on all of the Fantasyland rides with no wait! (Even Dumbo.) If you're staying in a hotel nearby, you can always take your child for a nap in the early afternoon, when the park fills up.

[kadesha]

wow i'm lost! i've never even heard of this! when is it?

[Milan23]

Yes, where are these hours listed? It sounds like alot of fun for a little one (or a big one)...

[walstib]

we were at EMH's on 3/29. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland were open in the morning, but not Adventureland and Frontierland. .

You went to a regular EMH as instead of the Little Ones Magic Morning that the OP asked about. During the Little Ones Mornings, only Fantasyland is open. It is intended for "little ones" and a lot a characters are out to play - not pose for pictures or sign books, but to interact with the children.
Last year it was held on Sun, Weds, and Fri mornings, but no official schedule has been put out by Disney.
No, Disney was not checking everyone for children at the entrance, but the mornings are intended for the younger set.

[Sylvia]

What's the deal with these? Does the Magic Kingdom get ultra busy because of them? Am I not allowed to go because I won't have a kid with me? Info??

I happened to be in WDW on one of my solo trips when they offered the Little Ones Extra Magic Mornings. Since Fantasyland is one of my favorite areas in the park, and one of my musts every trip is Dumbo (which as we all know has one of the longest lines during the day), I took advantage of it. When I cross the Florida state line, I'm a 2-year-old in an adult body, so this seemed to be a perfect way to start a day in the MK. As has already been said it's open to all; you don't have to have kids with you. It's another one of those perks for resort guests.

I had one of the most enjoyable times in the MK ever, and I've spent hundreds of hours in the MK since 1976.

The characters played ball, Ring Around the Rosie, Red Light Green Light, Simon Says, etc.. One of the funniest things I saw was Captain Hook, Peter Pan and Wendy playing Red Light Green Light; at one point, Captain Hook was "IT". I thoroughly enjoyed watching all the little ones (and there were some very young toddlers that day) playing with their favorite characters.

Also, Goofy was riding on the carousel, Stitch was riding on Dumbo, and at one point, I saw Snow White and Dopey walking hand-in-hand into Snow White's Adventures.

Oh, and I did manage to go on Dumbo and all of my other favorites. After park opening, I went back to the Main Street Bakery for breakfast, but that's another story.

I had a great time and I'm looking forward to going again on a future trip.

There were quite a few other "big kids" traveling without little ones. I only heard one comment that annoyed me slightly. While we were waiting for the gates to open, I overheard on parent say that she thought it was a disgrace that there were adults without children and that they shouldn't be allowed to attend. I really wanted to remind her that WDW is for kids of all ages; but, instead, I just bit my tongue, laughed to myself, and pretended I didn't hear her.

[butterfly18237]

So whats the difference from the early morning entry and the little ones magical mornings? I have a 4 year old going and would love to spend that time with the characters. What do I need to look for to take advantage oh this? Thanks so much.

[tlhewitt52]

I think one of the most inportant factors for the little ones EMH is that it is only held middle of August throught the end of September as part of Disneys Magical Begginning! Suring this time they even hold concerts for the kids at MGM, with people like the Wiggles, Doodlebobs and Dan Zane!!

[wdw_bound]

We loved it last year - it had the kind of character interaction you used to see in the TV spots in the 80s.

We were very sensitive to the fact that this was targetted to the little ones, so DD8 and I walked on to many rides (incl. Peter Pan and Dumbo), which were not as big of a draw as playing catch with Minnie and Daisy and other such activities that DD was too old for based on the crowd. DS1.5 loved the games, though.

The highlight of DD's trip was being "kidnapped" by the Mad Hatter when she told him the teacups were her favorite ride. He took her straight to them (we were near the carousel at the time), calling out to Alice along the way. When they got there, they both got in a teacup with her, and she couldn't stop laughing at MH's antics!

I remember last year on this and another board that there was a great deal of debate about people with older kids or no kids at all participating. I think the concern of many parents is that little kids often get pushed aside by older kids and that this time is meant for toddlers. As the mom of an 8 yo and a 2 yo, let me say that I've seen this happen at other places (easter egg hunts, playgrounds, etc.), but didn't really see it at Magical Beginnings. There were older kids there, and adults with no kids, and everyone seemed very respectful of the little ones and gave them their time with the characters. I believe this was also helped by the fact that 1) there were no autographs; 2) characters were not posing for photos - you could take snapshots, but there were no meet-n-greet lines 3) Most people with older kids and/or adults without kids aren't terribly interested at getting to Fantasyland by 8 am, but as anyone with a toddler will tell you, that is a late start for a 2 year old !

If you are there during this time and want to take advantage of this program, I say go for it. As for crowds later in the day, we didn't notice a tremendous increase, but remember, this is traditionally a less busy time anyway.

[Disneymom of many]

This sounds great! I had heard about it, but didn't know what was involved.

I was planning on being at MK on a Friday am, so I hope this schedule holds true.

I have 4 under 6, so I think this will be right up their alley!

[magicman]

We particpated in Little Ones Magic Hour this last Sep AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL.

I have a 7, 10, & 11 year old & the older ones even loved it. Characters played hide-and-seek & got into mischief. The rides had no lines (we watched Philharmagic with 10 people in the theatre). Fantasyland was fresh, clean, & totally uncrowded. This was probably the most magical hour I've ever had at the World.

If you have the opportunity (no matter what the ages), utilize the Little Ones Magic Hour, it is INCREDIBLE.

[CousinLouie]

The Little One's EMH was the absolute best morning we spent in the MK on our trip last year. The rides in Fantasy Land were all no-wait walk-ons, and the characters were everywhere, playing and interacting with the kids.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves - it was truly enchanting ... the best day of our trip.

We would love for this program to make its way back into the schedule for this August, but have not seen any announcements. I'm not sure when it was that they announced the program last year, but I do remember that there was a formal announcement on Intercot, and the Little One's EMH days were placed on the MK Schedule.

Being a planning fanatic, I quickly adjusted my overall schedule at that time. It definitely paid off.

I am hoping to see another announcement shortly - for those of you traveling in the Aug/Sept timeframe, I would highly recommend incorporating this into your itinerary.

[Carol]

We were given the dates for October. They still need to update the calendar for September. I'll post them as soon as they are available. It's Wednesday, Friday & Sunday for October.

Little Ones Magic Hour
October 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28

[Milan23]

I am so excited to see that they will have this during our trip! So does it start one hour before the park opens? Are there any restrictions to attend...we are staying onsite, do we need anything special or just show up at the main gates at that time?

[magicman]

I am so excited to see that they will have this during our trip! So does it start one hour before the park opens? Are there any restrictions to attend...we are staying onsite, do we need anything special or just show up at the main gates at that time?

The Little Ones Extra Magic Hours are available to any/all onsite guests (any age). They begin one hour before general opening. All you need is the same room key/cards that you normally use for park admittance. You enter at the regular gates, go straight to Fantasyland, and have the time of your life.

By the way, we "Woke Up Tinkerbell" the morning that we participated in the Little Ones Extra Magic Hours. The crowds were so much less that if you decide to try to wake up Tink, this is a good opportunity.

[DisneyDudet]

Now that I know I can do this, I think it will be great!! We'll ride a few fantasyland rides to get them out of the way.

We won't be mean adults, keeping the children from their fun. We are pretty accomodating.

[butterfly18237]

is there any dates for december for this? oh I hope so, I know my son would love to play and joke around with Peter Pan. It would be so cute to watch them too. Please say this isnt just for a certain time period.

[DisneyDudet]

We will only know once they release park hours for December, which will be another 2 months from now.

It looks like this is just a fall thing...

[Carol]

is there any dates for december for this?

No. Magical Beginnings is a special event for young children and toddlers. It only runs from September 6 through October 28, 2007.